OREANDA-NEWS. February 26, 2009. The forum organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan with the assistance of the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat was launched in the Turkmen capital on February 24. The agenda of the two-day workshop focused on the issues of evaluating and consolidating legislation.

The forum organized under the joint projects of the Government of Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat brought together the deputies of the Mejlis, specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, the Institute of State and Law under President of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan, professors of Magtymguly Turkmen State University and the Institute of International Affairs, journalists and the international experts of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Those speaking at the forum noted that today the legal reform was successfully implemented in Turkmenistan in the framework of the ongoing large-scale social and economic transformations. The agenda for upgrading and developing the national legislation included the implementation of the universally recognized international law norms and the study of the best international practices. Adopting the new Constitution of Turkmenistan was an important step to implement the progressive reforms that intensified the democratic processes in the country and showed the irreversibility of these processes. The legal sector was a priority of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the foreign partners including the European Union member countries, the dialogue with whom had entered the qualitatively new and higher stage.

The aim of the workshop was to provide the consultations to Turkmen lawyers on the aspects of building the legal policy, the methods of monitoring the statutory and legal acts, drafting the proposals on the improvement of the national legislation. The international experts presented the overviews on the particular aspects. The special toolkits prepared by the organizers were distributed among the workshop participants.

Exchanging views the workshop participants expressed belief that this meeting would considerably contribute to enhancing constructive co-operation in the legal sector between Turkmenistan and the leading international organizations including the OSCE.